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Category: News

  • Win for Media Students as Daystar Studios receive high-tech equipment

    By Sumaya Hussein

    (husseinsumaya1@gmail.com)

    Complete studio at the Valley Road Campus. PHOTO/Eric Kadenge

    This week saw studios at the Valley Road campus and Shine FM get filled with high-tech equipment, donated by the University of Northwestern- St Paul. The donations worth Ksh10million arrived at the Nairobi campus on Wednesday, and on Friday for Shine FM in Athi River.

    Dean, School of Communication Prof. Levi Obonyo was present during the installation of the equipment at the Shine FM studios. Speaking to Involvement, the Dean said that the upgrade is a win for communication students since they will have a chance to interact with equipment that is “on a different level”.

    “The only problem with this equipment now is that you might get stuck when you go out to the industry,” said Prof. Obonyo, adding that such gear is rare to find.

    The Nairobi campus has five complete studios equipped with microphones, monitors, speakers and a digital console. Shine FM studios have been upgraded and fitted with high quality radio technology for better broadcasting.

    The equipment was brought to the campuses by a team from Northwestern University, who set up the studios and trained staff on how to operate the gear. Director of Engineering Rod Thannum said that the donations were a good way of honoring the Lord and making the studios modern.

    “Hopefully the students can get a great experience and when they go out to the market place, they’ll be trained on high-tech gear,” said Thannum.

    University of Northwestern-St Paul is a private Christian university in Roseville, Minnesota. The institution owns a number of radio stations in the mid-west and Eastern United States, broadcasting listener-supported Christian music and teachings. Each year the university raises funds for mission projects such as the one in Daystar. “It’s the way that the listeners of Northwestern can bless other people throughout the world,” said Thannum.

    According to Thannum, Daystar was listed as a beneficiary some years earlier but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the arrival of equipment. “After about a year and a half of cancelling flights, we are finally here,” said Thannum.

    Media students are particularly excited about the new equipment whose arrival followed the completion of the new studios at the Valley Road Campus.

    Studio technicians receive brief training on how to operate the new equipment. PHOTO/ Eric Kadenge

  • Mombasa on high alert as 3 test positive for Indian Variant

    by Catherine Njau

    (njaucatherine3@gmail.com)

    Mombasa Public Health Chief Officer Pauline Oginga and Woman Rep Asha Mohammed receive equipment for fighting COVID-19 from Pathfinder County Director Solomon Omariba. Photo/ Laban Walloga.

    Mombasa County is on high alert after three people tested positive for the highly infectious Indian variant of Covid-19. This comes after the Ministry of Health (MOH) reported the first case of the Indian variant on May 5, days after it was detected in neighboring Uganda.

    In Mombasa, the two of the three patients who tested positive had arrived in the country between April 18 and 19, through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. They later travelled to Mombasa by road, however, it has remained unclear how they managed to arrive in Mombasa.

    A presidential directive was in place, barring movement out of and into Nairobi at the time. One of the patients is a Kenyan to have travelled to India to attend to a patient and returned on April 18; the other is an Indian national who works in Kenya and arrived on April 19.

    Mombasa County’s public health chief officer Pauline Oginga, spoke to the Star saying “The two started manifesting symptoms days after arriving. They were placed in isolation as samples were taken to Kemri in Kilifi for testing and obtained positive results for the Indian variant.”

    Oginga said when the two arrived in Kenya, their results were negative but a few days later they developed symptoms and got tested again. She said the surveillance team has intensified tracing of those who interacted with them and also those who interacted with their contacts.

    The third case was from an individual who had travelled with a sick patient to Mombasa and later developed symptoms. As another case has also been reported in Samburu village, Kwale County. Ms Pauline Oginga said they were working closely with the national government to ensure contact tracing is done for all the passengers who arrived with the two patients.

    Upon the detection of the B.1.617 variant from India, the health ministry’s director general, Dr Patrick Amoth said, “This variant has been picked (up) in Kenya and because of global connectivity; it is just a question of time. You cannot be able to put barriers … to prevent a virus from accessing your territory.

    The case was detected among samples taken from Indian travellers who were working in Kisumu, a city in western Kenya, he added. No further details were provided. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the B.1.617 variant of Covid-19, which was first found in India, has now been reported in more than a dozen countries.

    According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control, 20 countries are currently reporting the B.1.1.7 variant of coronavirus that was first detected in the United Kingdom in September 2020.

    The countries are Algeria, Angola, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Ghana, Gabon, Kenya, Libya, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Togo and Tunisia.

  • Sick man loses over Ksh200,000 in Equity Bank

    By Diana Wambui

    (dianangotho17@gmail.com)

    Jopic Bundi, 63, during a kidney dialysis in Nyangina Hospital, Kisii County in December 2020 – Photo/ Phyllis Bundi

    A 63-year-old man was appalled when he tried to withdraw money from his Equity Bank account to cover his medical expenses on a graceful Monday. The Nyamira county resident visited Equity Bank with his wife only to find out that his account had insufficient funds. Only a thousand shillings left to his name from the graft for bank maintenance.

    Jopic Bundi was diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure in 1990. He worked at the Revenue Department in Nyamira County where he retired in 2019 with his savings in Equity Bank. Afterwards, he was engrossed in different projects like real estate and house renovations. At this time, his condition was manageable until he started complaining about chest pains.

    Consequently, his first-born daughter, Phyllis Bundi went with him to withdraw KSh20,000 from the Ksh290,000 he had saved, leaving a solid Ksh270,000 in his current account.

    The old-fashioned father of five does not own an ATM card, only an Equitel line which he registered back in 2014 and he is oblivious to it.

    Clinical tests showed that he had an enlarged heart on his right meaning more money out of their pockets hence the second transaction. His daughter went to withdraw the money from his bank account but this was rendered impossible by one of her friends who was working at the bank. Desperately, she got money elsewhere since they had to see a cardiologist every month.

    The second transaction however, raised alarms when Ksh270,000 magically disappeared from the account. Jopic who was accompanied by his wife when he got the news of insufficient funds immediately called their daughter Phyllis Bundi who then escorted them back to the same bank for further details.

    She immediately asked for the bank statement from the manager who was reportedly very abrasive. According to Phyllis, he dismissed her saying that her father was at fault for giving out his pin, which she denied saying that he was very sick.

    They also discovered a frequent 30,000 cash withdrawal to the Equitel line from an unknown source that eventually emptied the account.

    The bank manager went ahead and told Phyllis to report to the matter to the police.

    Equity’s response to the matter sent a shock wave through Bundi’s heart, according to his first-born daughter, Phyllis. “His condition worsened when he found out there was no money in his bank account,” she said.

    At Nyamira Police Station, they spoke to the head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, John Pere and they were assigned a police officer who opened an investigation that eventually became futile. The family was told that fraudulent cases were common in Equity Bank.

    A journalist by the name Abuga Makori broke the news all over Twitter and was met by many dignified responses from Co-operative Bank, KCB and Equity Bank itself.

    One lady from the comment section came out to claim that Equity stole 10,000 from her and when she reached out to them, the branch manager was out of line.

    “I was once a victim. I followed up with the branch manager akaanza kunikatia (started flirting with me). I was a student by then. Money was lost and never recovered.” she alleged.

    “A global brand like @keEquityBank should strive to minimize these acts of impunity. By now, the Nyamira Branch workers should have been put on notice. Stealing from customers is one of crimes that should be punished instantly.” said Abuga Makori who authored the expose via Twitter.

    “Hello Abuga. Thanks for raising the matter with us. We have taken note and will be following up on this with our team at Kisii Branch. There has got to be an explanation and we shall get to the bottom of it and update the client.” Equity responded.

    Bundi’s daughter claims that they never called her after that and all their plights fell on deaf ears. Currently, the sick man is in a wheelchair and goes for dialysis appointments in Nyangina Hospital, Kisii County twice in a week.

    He is trapped battling high blood pressure, kidney failure and an enlarged heart, together with broken promises from those he thought he could depend on.

    “They said they would call. They have never called,” Phyllis expressed her disappointments and vowed to make a shift to a different bank.

    Edited by Sumaya Hussein

  • Accept WhatsApp privacy policy or lose features

    By Fatiha Shabir

    (fatihashabz@gmail.com)

    Users yet to accept new terms and conditions on WhatsApp will start to get persistent reminders. Photo/Getty images

    WhatsApp users who have not yet accepted the new privacy policy will lose some of the app’s functionality. The policy was updated on January 1, 2021 and users were given up until May 15, 2021 to read and understand the terms “at their own pace”.

    Following the lapse of the grace period, the company will now constantly remind users to accept the terms through in-app alerts.

    “After giving everyone time to review, we’re continuing to remind those who haven’t had the chance to do so to review and accept. After a period of several weeks, the reminder people receive will eventually become persistent,” said the company.

    Users, who fail to accept the privacy policy, will gradually over time not be able to see chat lists and finally not be able to receive video calls and messages.

    However, WhatsApp has revealed that no account will be deleted, unlike earlier mentioned.

    As two billion users accepted the new policy, WhatsApp is striving to ensure everyone else who uses the app follows suit.

    Privacy issues have been a matter of concern to the users, ever since the first policy arrived.

    The company, however, had several times stated that the app respects user privacy and cannot see personal messages as they are end-to-end encrypted. This means they can be read on the devices of the sender and recipient only.

    Edited by Sumaya Hussein

  • Raila Odinga Vows to appeal High Court ruling on BBI

    By Sumaya Hussein

    (husseinsumaya1@gmail.com)

    ODM Leader Raila odinga remains hopeful despite the High Court declaring the bill null and void – Photo/The Standard

    It’s been two days since the High court declared the BBI referendum process unconstitutional and finally, ODM leader Raila Odinga has reacted to the ruling. The BBI propellor is still optimistic that the bill will get past its current obstacle, like it has others before.

    The former Prime Minister disliked the court’s judgement on the BBI initiative saying he was disappointed in the ruling and intends to appeal the decision.

    In a party statement on Saturday, Raila said; “We will calmly and respectfully move to the Court of Appeal to present our case as to why we think the High Court did not render the right verdict. We will do so with sobriety and with respect for our judges and courts.”

    Many have been anticipating to hear his thoughts after the court suddenly stopped “reggae” and rendered the BBI vehicle motionless. Unlike many, including Deputy President William Ruto, who believe the BBI is done for, Odinga remains hopeful that the Constitutional reform will resurface.

    Mr. Odinga also called for restraint from personalized attacks on the court and its members, especially the five-judge bench that delivered Thursday’s verdict.

    “We may disagree with the court but we must respect its ruling and its freedom to exercise its judgement as it understands the legal and constitutional matters before it,” said Odinga.

    Come Monday, the BBI Secretariat as well, co-chaired by ODM’s Director of Elections Junet Mohamed, are to file an appeal against the High Court’s ruling that derailed the BBI train.

    “It is not over yet! We still believe a new Kenya is possible and the BBI will give birth to that new Kenya. We would fight to the bitter end,” Junet said in a press conference at the Secretariat headquarters in Nairobi on Friday.

    Besides the Secretariat, another wing led by Attorney-general Kihara Kariuki, has also communicated a notice of appeal.

    Kariuki says the High Court erred in dealing the BBI process a blow, and that a higher court is better-placed to give an interpretation on whether public participation, was adequately conducted. The lack of public participation stood as one of the reasons that led to the court nullifying the BBI process.

    The fate of the BBI remains a mystery for now as a section of lawyers including Bobby Mkangi, Charles Kanjama, Steve Ogolla and Elias Mutuma, believe the petitioners would have a low chance of success at the Court of Appeal. According to them, the High Court’s ruling was watertight.

    Another section, however, led by Prof. Ben Sihanya and Tom Joseph Kajwang, believe the lower court’s ruling would be overturned at the Court of Appeal.

  • CDC eases mask-wearing guidelines for fully vaccinated

    by Sumaya Hussein

    (husseinsumaya1@gmail.com)

    A commuter receives a free vaccine at the Coney Island Station in Brooklyn – Photo/The Guardian

    The director of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday said that fully vaccinated Americans can now participate in most outdoor activities, without wearing a mask or social distancing.

    The CDC head, Rochelle Walensky, revealed the agency’s new mask guidance during a White House briefing on coronavirus.

    “Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing. If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic.”

    However, fully vaccinated people are still required to wear their masks while using public transport including buses, trains ad airplanes. Walensky said that the CDC is continuing to review its travel policies, but did not explain reasoning behind Thursday’s announcement.

    “Right now for travel we are asking people to continue to wear their masks,” she said.

    Moreover, the CDC noted that vaccinated people should continue following the existing state, local or tribal laws and regulations on masks and social distancing, as well as policies at businesses and workplaces.

    Consequently, as of Friday morning, the rules looked very different from one state, city or county to the next.

    US President Joe Biden heralded the CDC’s announcement in an outdoor press conference hours later saying, “The CDC is saying, they have concluded that fully vaccinated people are at a very, very, low risk of getting Covid-19. Therefore, if you are fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask,” said Biden. “Let me repeat: if you are fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask.”

    Walensky also said: “We have all longed for this moment when we can get back to some sense of normalcy. Based on the continuing downward trajectory of cases, the scientific data on the performance of our vaccines and our understanding of how the virus spreads, that moment has come for those who are fully vaccinated.”

    To some, the announcement is a significant step in resuming pre-covid life, but others remain skeptical about the decision to ease the restrictions.

    Jeniffer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said she expects mask-wearing to continue in transportation settings, as well as some other places open to the public, such as grocery stores.

    “I really don’t expect public settings to change that much until case numbers come down,” said Nuzzo.

  • High Court declares BBI process unconstitutional

    By Neema Oloo

    (oloojneema@gmail.com)

    Judges Teresia Matheka, George Odunga, Joel Ngugi, Jairus Ngaah and Chacha Mwita at a court in Milimani, delivering the judgment on petitions challenging the BBI – Photo/ The Standard

    The High Court on Thursday declared the BBI referendum process unconstitutional, throwing the future of the initiative into uncertainty.

    The five judges; Joel Ngugi, George Odunga, Jarius Ngaah, Teresia Matheka and Chacha Mwita, unanimously dismissed the actions of the key players of the BBI.

    The judges upheld a consolidated case by eight petitioners that the constitution bears essential features that cannot be amended. The petitioners argued that the BBI was not the will of the people, but based on the changing political and socio-economic interests.

    The court held that the BBI secretariat and steering committee failed to provide critical information to the public as outlined in the procedure to amend the constitution through a popular initiative.

    The court also said that the president cannot initiate a process to change the constitution in the pretext of promoting national unity. If allowed, it would mean he would be granted the role of promoter and referee.

    “He (president) isn’t part of parliament. He has no power under the constitution to initiate changes under the constitution since parliament is the only state organ that can consider the effecting of constitutional changes,” said the judges.

    The court further observed that the BBI steering committee was unlawful and had no legal capacity to promote constitutional changes therefore, the entire process was done unconstitutionally. They said that the president did not comply with the law when creating the committee.

    The court also added that the Bill was not printed in Swahili for the common mwananchi to read, which means those who do not understand English were left out.

    “The BBI bill cannot be subjected to a referendum before the IEBC conducts voter registration. There is no quorum at IEBC to conduct its mandate including signature verification submitted by IEBC. At the time of launch of the report, there was no legislation to guide the conduct of the referendum,” said the judges.

    The court also found that in taking the initiative to amend the constitution, the President had failed to respect, uphold and subscribe to the constitution and to the extent that he had fallen short of the leadership and integrity threshold.

    “BBI is a hybrid initiative unknown to the constitution, therefore it is our finding that the popular initiative as means to amend the constitution under article 257 of the constitution is a power reserved for Wanjiku. Neither the president nor any state organ can utilize article 257 of the constitution to amend the constitution,” the judges said.

    The judgement from the court arose out of seven cases filed against BBI.

    The main case was filed by five activists namely, economist David Ndii, Jerotich Seii, James Ngondi, Wanjiku Gikonyo and Ikal Angelei.

    They sued Attorney General Kihara Kariuku, National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi and Speaker of the Senate Ken Lusaka, as well as the IEBC.

    The push for the BBI referendum entered the homestretch on Tuesday after Senate overwhelmingly passed the Bill, setting the stage for the last two steps.

    The House attained a rare two-thirds majority after 51 senators voted in support of the Bill, 12 against and 1 abstained.

  • Larry Madowo Hired as CNN Nairobi-based Correspondent

    By Fatiha Shabir

    (fatihashabz@gmail.com)

    Journalist Larry Madowo – Photo/ The Star

    Journalist Larry Madowo, a Daystar alumnus, has left the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to take up a new position with CNN as their Nairobi-based Correspondent.

    The announcement was made on Thursday by Deborah Rayner, Senior Vice President of International Newsgathering and Managing Editor, Europe, Middle East and Africa, for CNN International.

    “From enterprise reporting in Ethiopia’s Tigray region to investigations into oil drilling in Namibia’s Kavongo Basin, via a range of cultural and business stories across dedicated programming, Africa has never been more visible on CNN’s multiple platforms,” Rayner said in a statement.

    “Larry is an experienced journalist whose expertise across politics, business, entertainment and hard news stories will play into our diverse coverage of East Africa and beyond.”

    Madowo said he enjoyed reporting from the US and around the world, but it’s a “real privilege” to return to covering Africa at such a critical time in Kenya and around the continent.

    “I have long admired CNN International’s award-winning coverage, and I’m honored to be joining such a talented team. I look forward to sharing the full spectrum of life in one of the most dynamic parts of the world with CNN’s global audiences,” said Larry Madowo.

    Madowo had until recently being serving as the BBC’s North America Correspondent in Washington, D.C., covering major U.S news stories. He is known for covering the 2020 American presidential election, the protests following the death of George Floyd and the trial of Derek Chauvin, as well as providing constant updates on the Covid-19 outbreak all over the world.

    Before joining BBC, he started at KTN then worked for NTV Kenya. His new appointment marks a return to Nairobi for the Kenyan-born Madowo.

    Larry Madowo enrolled for a Communication degree in 2006 at Daystar University at the Athi River Campus and graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication degree.  He also has a Master’s in Business and Economics Journalism from Columbia University in New York.

  • Long-Serving Ugandan President Museveni sworn into office

    By Wangui Njau

    (njaucatherine3@gmail.com)

    Yoweri Museveni Sworn into office in Kololo Independence Grounds, Kampala – Photo/NBS

    Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, was on Wednesday sworn into office as Uganda’s President for a sixth term, after winning the January 14 general elections.

    The ceremony was held at the Kololo Independence Grounds in Kampala, and in attendance were African presidents including President Uhuru Kenyatta and Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu.

    President Kenyatta, who currently chairs the East African Community (EAC), was accompanied by Cabinet Secretaries Raychelle Omamo (Foreign Affairs), Peter Munya (Agriculture) and James Macharia (Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development).

    Yoweri Museveni is Uganda’s longest serving president, as well as the fourth longest serving president in Africa. As he took the oath of office, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) leader insisted that the economy has grown in the last 35 years, hinting at its growth in the coming years.

    “The economy will be growing at the rate of between nine and ten percent in the initial years of oil production… We can achieve much higher, much faster rate of growth and I will see to that,” said Museveni.

    Security was ramped up around the capital ahead of the inauguration. This also included tight security around the home of opposition leader Robert Kyangulanyi alias Bobi Wine, who accused the government of malpractice in the election.

    The campaign period was also marred by a deadly crackdown by security forces on Wine, other opposition candidates and their supporters.

    In the run-up to the vote, local civil society groups and foreign governments questioned its credibility and transparency, after scores of requests for accreditation to monitor the election were denied.

    Museveni and his NRM Party won the January 14 polls with 5.85 million votes (58.64%), while main opposition candidate Bobi Wine and his National Unity Platform garnered 3.48 million votes (34.83%).

    The 76 year old became president when his forces seized the capital Kampala after a five-year guerrilla struggle and has won five elections since 1996. Parliament has twice changed the constitution to allow him to run, first removing a two-term limit in 2005 and then abolishing the age limit of 75 in 2017.

  • LSK President Havi eyes Westlands MP seat

    by Diana Wambui

    (dianangotho17@gmail.com)

    President of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), Nelson Havi – Citizen TV

    The president of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), Nelson Havi, on Tuesday showed interest in running for the Westland’s MP seat in the upcoming 2022 elections.

    In a short statement via his Twitter on Monday, the 34-year-old staunch lawyer made a shift from law to politics.

    “I have accepted the request of the people of Westlands constituency to serve them and the Nation in that capacity effective August 2022 or earlier if Parliament is dissolved,” said Havi.

    His new inclination was brought about by the residents of Westland’s constituency, who are banking on his leadership skills. The constituency has 5 wards namely Kitisuru, Karura, Kangemi and Mountain View located in the Suburban areas of Nairobi County.

    Havi went ahead to outline duties of MPs as members of National Assembly stating, “The constitution enumerates functions and duties of a member of National Assembly making laws, protecting the constitution, determining allocation of national revenue and oversight of its expenditure, reviewing conduct of state officers and oversight of state organs, infrastructural development, wealth creation and poverty alleviation at the constituency level.”

    Nelson Havi vows to check on government excesses and to serve diligently leaving no stones unturned. The outspoken lawyer has had quite a tumultuous journey in the Judiciary.

    The advocate was always a top performer throughout his primary and secondary education, and his father’s death during the 1992 post-election violence encouraged him to be a lawyer.

    The incumbent Tim Wanyonyi is serving his second term on an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ticket since 2013. He is currently eyeing the Nairobi gubernatorial seat in the next general elections after he shut down rumours of Bungoma bid.

    Nelson Havi will rival Arthur Mandela an award winning Kenyan vlogger of 31 years of age in the upcoming poll. Arthur Mandela alias Xtian Dela, expressed his disappointment on Twitter over lack of support from young people who he claims to be representing.

    The latter was responsible for the “Club Covid” invention in 2020 on Instagram at the helm of Covid-19, capturing young women competing in inappropriate dance contests over a cash price. He came under fire from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and three parents who sued him for airing explicit content and infringing on rights of teenagers.

    Whereas the future is uncertain for the two aspirants, the answer lies with the registered voters.